My Top 10 Favorite Celebrities

I'm Stellar in Neverland, and I've got a lot to say today. Why don't I start off with a few updates?
-There's someone I want you all to meet:


This is Catalina from Neverland (often known as just Catalina or Cat), who is now the "face" of Stellar in Neverland. She is a Bitmoji and she is adorable and I love her. She resembles how I look in real life pretty well, but she also probably resembles a lot of people, so I think it's okay. You can't use her to stalk me is what I'm saying. Each post will have a cameo from Catalina in the beginning that somehow relates to the post for this week, and I might start writing short stories about her "adventures" as full posts. I don't really have a good reason as to why I'm doing this, I just kind of want to make my blog more unique.
-About a month ago, I kept on promising that I would listen to Taylor Swift's latest album Reputation and write a review of it. However, I couldn't listen to it immediately since she didn't put it on Spotify. However, on November 30th, Taylor decided to put her album on the streaming service, meaning the review will come next week! It could have been my post for this week, but I had already started writing this post and I didn't feel like saving it for next week. Plus, the review will go up on December 13th, which is Taylor Swift's birthday! I didn't even realize that until now but this is the best timing to do it. I just hope it's tolerable because I'd feel kind of bad for trash-talking anyone, even someone who I don't really like, on their birthday. 

My actual post for this week is a list of my top 10 favorite celebrities.

Get it, she's walking the red carpet like a celebrity! Because there's nothing more famous than being the face of a blog no one reads, amirite?

This is what I was referring to in my last post as "a list that is, shockingly, not entirely music-related". I came up with the idea at like 11:00 last Monday night and I thought it would be a good idea for a post. I don't think worshipping celebrities and making them the only important thing in your life is okay, and I don't worship any of these people. They're simply people who I love and admire for more than one reason. I love the work that most of these people have professionally done (their music, movies, books, etc.), but what really determines whether a celebrity makes the list is how I feel about them as a person. Obviously I don't know any of these people in real life, but from what I do know about them, they're all great people. They speak out about issues that matter to them, donate to charities, and just give off the impression that they'd be cool to hang out with. These people have all changed my life in one way or another, and I'm proud to call myself a fan of each of them. Also, this list isn't in any order other than the order I came up with them while brainstorming. Now I'm FINALLY done with all my rambling, so let's get started with the list!

(Also one last thing: this post has a butt-ton of links. I sincerely apologize and I'm not gonna make you check out all of them.)

1. Ariana Grande

Picture credit so I don't get sued: https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/06/ariana-grande-issues-important-feminist-manifesto

Don't act like you're surprised to see Ariana Grande on my list. I've talked about my adoration of her on many different occasions and I even dedicated a whole post to talking about one of her albums. I've talked about her music many times, but even though she's my favorite music artist, that's not even the biggest reason why I love her. The reason why I hold her in such high regard is because she's a truly incredible person. People try to denounce her and call her a diva, but that's not who she is at all. Just look at how she handled the terrorist attack at her Manchester concert this year! It was a horrible, horrible thing, and she obviously felt so much responsibility and guilt for what happened. However, Ariana handled the entire ordeal with such poise and class. She paid for the funerals of the people who tragically lost their lives in the bombing, she visited injured people in the hospital, and she organized an extremely successful and beautiful benefit concert (called One Love Manchester) IN LESS THAN TWO WEEKS. I'm of the opinion that very few people, famous or not, could have handled the tragedy as well as she did, and the best part? She wasn't obligated to do any of this at all since the incident wasn't her fault, and it wasn't PR. She did it because she's simply a wonderful human being. She also speaks out about important issues, such as teaming up with her friend Victoria Monet to release a song about Black Lives Matter, posting about Trump's ban on trans people serving in the military on Instagram, and writing a feminist essay you can read at the picture credit link. It's sad how people still give her hate because they don't like her music and they're still not over the donut scandal (IT'S BEEN TWO YEARS PEOPLE), because Ariana is a genuinely fantastic human being. I said this wasn't going to be in any order, but if it was, she'd probably be #1.

2. Ellen DeGeneres

Picture credit: http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/entertainment/a45504/ellen-degeneres-cover-story/

I mentioned my admiration for Ellen in my Top 10 Favorite Movies (shameless plug), so if you read that post, you should've seen this pick coming. Ellen is just a hilarious, kind-hearted, and inspiring person. She's most known for her daytime talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show, where she shows off her comedy chops. I nearly died laughing when she reenacted Taylor Swift's "Look What You Made Me Do" video. She also starred in the Pixar classic Finding Nemo and its sequel Finding Dory, playing the title character of the latter. Finding Nemo was how I was first introduced to her, and she made a great first impression. Nearly every line Dory says in that movie is endlessly quotable, and she really makes the role her own. Another thing I love about Ellen is how she broke down barriers. She came out as a lesbian back when homosexuality was still a taboo topic and refused to be anything other than herself. It's really inspiring. But honestly the thing I love most about Ellen is how much she loves giving back. She supports and donates to numerous charities, and she is constantly giving away money, cars, and other surprises on her show. She donated $75,000 to people affected by Hurricane Harvey, raised $12.5 million for breast cancer research, donated $500,000 to an underprivileged school in Detroit, donated $25,000 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation in exchange for Ryan Reynolds going in her dunk tank, and spent an entire season of her show helping people in need. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Ellen loves helping the less fortunate and it really just makes me love her even more.

3. Zendaya

Picture credit: https://www.glamour.com/story/zendaya-november-2017-cover-interview (This article is really good and I recommend you read it)

Actress, singer, dancer, and entrepreneur Zendaya Coleman (better known just by her first name) first started out on the Disney show Shake It Up, which is honestly one of the worst Disney shows of all time. The jokes were embarrassing, the characters were unlikable, the plot was boring, and the acting was mostly horrid. It also brought Bella Thorne, who would definitely make a list of my LEAST favorite celebrities, to the public consciousness. Yet its star, Zendaya, is a person whom I genuinely adore. She's only 21 years old and she's already accomplished so much in her career. She's been on two Disney shows, Shake It Up and K.C. Undercover (the latter of which she is a producer on- maybe that's why it's actually watchable!), as well as the summer blockbuster Spider-Man: Homecoming and will star in The Greatest Showman with Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron in a few weeks. She's also released some music, done some modeling, and took second place on Dancing With The Stars at the ripe old age of 16! Besides her many talents and accomplishments, I admire Zendaya for her refusal to take bulls**t from anyone and how vocal she is about issues that matter to her. When a magazine released a shoot she partook in and she saw she was photoshopped, she made them take down the retouched photos and use the natural ones because she didn't want young girls to have unrealistic expectations of beauty. She also frequently speaks about #BlackLivesMatter and how she hopes to provide representation for black girls everywhere. Finally, I love how fearless she can be with her red carpet style. She can wear anything and make it look good.

4. Demi Lovato

Picture credit: http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-41441941

My opinions on Demi Lovato have been really inconsistent over the years. Back when she was on Disney, I watched her show Sonny With A Chance but didn't know much about her. Around 2013 I claimed to be a "huge fan" but I really only knew "Heart Attack" and "Give Your Heart A Break". Just last year, I hated on her just because I was in my Fall Out Boy phase and she "ruined" their song "Irresistible". But this year I started listening to a lot of her music and watching videos of her performing live and I realized that I was wrong to hate on her. Demi's an amazing singer. She's not always the best vocalist from a technical standpoint, but you feel the soul and emotion in everything she sings. But what really made me fall in love with her is watching her documentary Simply Complicated on YouTube. I watched it on a whim and honestly, that was a really good decision. In the documentary, I learned about just how much crap Demi's dealt with in her life. She struggled with an eating disorder, a drug addiction, and was an alcoholic. However, she's overcome it and is in such a great place in her life. She's truly proud of her music, voice, and body, and I love how she's able to be so open about her struggles. The documentary also lets you see into her personal life. She's funny, down-to-earth, chill, and the kind of person you'd want as a friend. Demi is honest and real in everything she does, and that's why she's amassed the fan following she has. Plus, she's GORGEOUS. She's always been really pretty, but as of late, she's really been serving looks, so to speak. No other female celebrity can make me question my sexuality as much as Ms. Lovato.

5. Rihanna

Picture credit: https://www.glamour.com/story/rihanna-has-blue-mermaid-hair-now-and-looks-predictably-amazing

To a lot of people, Beyonce, Rihanna, and Nicki Minaj are something of a "holy black girl trinity". They are powerful black women in the music industry who are outspoken, influential, and controversial in pop culture. I adore all three of them and I struggled to only put one on my list, but in the end, I had to choose Bad Gal RiRi, as she calls herself on Instagram. The reason why I chose Rihanna is because although I love Beyonce and Nicki, they have this air to them that makes them feel untouchable. If I were to go to a party with them, I wouldn't be able to be myself because they're sort of intimidating. Rihanna doesn't have that vibe to her. I mean, you wouldn't want to mess with her, but I feel like I could go get a few drinks (if I were of age) with her and completely let my guard down. Rihanna is fierce and ambitious, which has led to her immense popularity, but she also appears to be really relaxed, witty, and like she doesn't take herself too seriously. I also admire how she isn't just successful in the music industry. She's ventured into acting, fashion, and most recently beauty with her incredibly successful Fenty Beauty line. Finally, I love Rihanna because of how unapologetic she is (hell, she even named one of her albums Unapologetic!). She knows her self-worth and she's unafraid to take risks in her music and style. She doesn't give a f**k about what people think of her, and it's why I love her. I genuinely think she's one of the icons of this generation.

6. J. K. Rowling

Picture credit: https://www.hypable.com/jk-rowling-stories-from-hogwarts-new-books/

If I would have made this post an ordered list on my old blog, you can bet J.K. Rowling would be #1. For God's sake, she wrote Harry Potter, which has had a bigger impact on me than virtually any other book series. That series defined my preteen years and is responsible for maybe 90% of my friendships. I even adopted the pen name(?) not_luna_lovegood on my old blog after my favorite Harry Potter character! Although I'm not nearly as crazy-obsessed as I was in my Brick Wall days, I will continue to love Harry Potter and have the utmost respect for J.K. Rowling until the day I die. J.K. Rowling is the epitome of a real-life Cinderella story. Before Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (or the Philosopher's Stone as it was originally published) came out, she was in a rough place. She was a single mother living in near poverty and she struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts. But she had an idea that would change the world, and so she wrote a book. The Harry Potter series was an instant phenomenon and made Rowling arguably the most famous writer on the planet. Even though both the book series and its film adaptation saga are over, Harry Potter is still in the public consciousness to this day. Despite her immense fame, she's never forgotten where she came from and donates to many charities. In fact, she was the first person to become a billionaire from writing books...until she lost that title because she had donated so much money to charity! I admire J.K. Rowling for her inspiring story, witty comebacks, humility, and incredible creativity and talent as a writer. She's one of the two writers I look up to the most. Wanna know who the other is?

7. John Green

Picture credit: https://thekenyonthrill.com/2014/02/11/10-oclock-list-things-john-green-should-have-spoken-about/

John Green is my favorite author hands-down. I've read every single one of his books (except for the new one, Turtles All The Way Down, which I'll read at some point in the near future). Every single one of them is up there with my favorites (except for An Abundance Of Katherines, which isn't bad, I just don't like it for some reason). His book with David Levithan, Will Grayson, Will Grayson, is my favorite of his works and I recommend it to everyone. I've read it so many times. His writing style is sarcastic and admittedly a little pretentious, but his books always have genuinely heart-tugging moments to balance it out. The Fault In Our Stars is probably the saddest book I have ever read. His characters are realistic and his stories are about real things like cancer and LGBTQ+ relationships. I also like his sense of humor. I won't claim that I've watched every single video he's ever had a part in, but I have seen some of his CrashCourse videos, but I have seen a few for school and wow, they definitely make learning more interesting. The sarcastic remarks and references to Cool Ranch Doritos get me laughing every time. Finally, I feel like John Green just seems like a genuinely nice, down-to-earth guy. He's open about his mental health issues (he has OCD) and is a feminist, and he can admit his flaws. He used the r-word in Paper Towns and then, eight years, later, said, "Yeah, I regret it. At the time, I thought an author's responsibility was to reflect language as I found it, but now ... eight years later, I don't feel like a book about humanizing the other benefited from dehumanizing language." He also has done many charitable things with his brother Hank, and they have a charity called the Foundation to Decrease World Suck. And yes, that is the best name for a charity I have ever seen. 

8. Barack AND Michelle Obama

Picture credit: https://www.elitedaily.com/news/barack-michelle-obama-hiring-interns/1788025

This is where I get political...yay? Okay, I'll try not to get too political but if you get offended by liberal opinions, you're not gonna like this pick very much. This one's a tie since I really love them both equally. I genuinely believe the Obamas are the best President-and-First-Lady combo to ever take command of the country. Well at the very least they're a hell of a lot better than who we have currently in the Oval Office. I didn't know much about politics during the Obama administration, but looking back, I really do think he did a lot for America. He legalized same-sex marriage, advocated for gun control and stopping climate change, ordered the military operation that killed Osama bin Laden, and signed the Affordable Care Act, which helped over half of the nation get the health care they needed. Non-politically speaking, Barack Obama just seems like a cool guy. He has the best bromance of all time with former Vice President Joe Biden, he's hilarious (I feel required to link this video of Obama releasing his "birth video" to the public, and he always puts his family first, including his wife Michelle. Speaking of Michelle, I love her too. Michelle Obama is one of the first women who comes to mind when I think of a strong and empowered woman and a great role model. Many women who served as First Lady didn't do much active work in the position, but Michelle did. She advocates for healthy eating and started the Let's Move! campaign to stop obesity and supports military families and the rights of women and LGBTQ+ people. She handles herself with grace and class but she can have fun too, as proven by her "Ew!" sketch with Jimmy Fallon and Will Ferrell. I admire the Obamas because they seem like normal people who truly love each other and their country. And of course, I'd be silly not to mention how they broke down barriers as the first black President and First Lady, respectively. Awesome!

9. Zac Efron

Picture credit: http://energy106.ca/73-questions-zac-efron/

Okay, I've written eight really nice, lengthy paragraphs about why I admire each celebrity on my list. I admire them for respectable reasons like being a fan of their acting/music, the fact that they support charities, and their personalities. So allow me to take a detour from these nice, lengthy, respectable paragraphs and state that Zac Efron is on the list because I personally find him extremely attractive. Even when I was four and first saw High School Musical and didn't know anything about love, life, sexual attraction, or boys (to be fair, I still don't know much about most of these things), I thought Zac Efron was hot. I'm pretty sure the majority of girls around my age can relate. Just...his eyes, his smile, his hair, his abs...oh god his abs (I had to fight serious temptation to not put a shirtless photo on here)...he just makes me swoon. I'll try to make this pick more dignified by stating that he's done some charity work like visiting children suffering with cancer in the hospital so he seems like a genuinely nice guy. He's also a pretty good actor. I probably should've mentioned this in the Zendaya part but the movie they're doing together, The Greatest Showman, looks really good and I can't wait to see it. But in the end, Zac Efron's on here because he's hot. Hey, I'm allowed to shallow indulgences every once in a while and so are you, person who's reading this!

10. Walt Disney

Picture credit: https://www.laughingplace.com/w/featured/2015/12/05/how-well-do-you-know-walt-disney/

We end this list with the only deceased person on it, but that doesn't mean he's ineligible for the list. After all, who doesn't know Walt Disney? When I was in seventh grade, I did a project on Disney and how he changed the world. It was really eye-opening and I learned just how truly amazing he was. He was an innovator and an original, a legend in his field of animation. He created so many iconic characters and films like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, and of course, the character who poses with him in the picture, Mickey Mouse. Disney dared to go where no one else would when he made Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the very first full-length animated movie. He also created many TV shows and a theme park, Disneyland. He showed that if you have a little creativity, you can accomplish anything. His most famous quote is "If you can dream it, you can do it," which is something of a life motto to me. He also showed the power of hard work because he didn't become a legend overnight. He worked hard to make sure everything in his movies was perfect and his creativity is why he's a legend. Then, we have the fact that he was a genuinely good person. Some people argue that he was racist because some of his works could be considered racially insensitive, but I think that was just part of the time period. I won't excuse it, but you have to understand that things were different back then. Besides, Disney's biographer Neal Gabler said, according to Wikipedia: "Not once did I observe a hint of the racist behavior Walt Disney was often accused of after his death. His treatment of people‍—‌and by this I mean all people‍—‌can only be called exemplary." He also was a philanthropist who donated to charities and helped children in need. Walt Disney was truly an icon, and he's the reason why the Walt Disney Company is still a powerhouse today.

That was...quite possibly the longest post I've done yet. At the end of every long post, I take time to thank YOU for reading up to this point, and I'm going to do it again. Thank you for reading all of it. Either way, I'm proud of it, and what's the point of doing things you're not proud of? Next week I'm FINALLY reviewing Reputation by Taylor Swift, and then next week I'm doing a Christmas special. I'm not going to say exactly what it's gonna be, but I'm going to say this: I'm both excited for it and dreading it at the same time. You'll get it when the time comes. Anyways, I'm Stellar in Neverland, and after SO MUCH RAMBLING, I'm signing off! See you next Wednesday, peace!

Stellar